Zimbabwe: Grain and Feed Annual

Zimbabwe’s production of its staple crop, corn, is expected to drop by almost 60 percent in marketing year 2024/25 due to extreme drought conditions associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon. More than half of Zimbabwe’s planted corn area was destroyed by the drought, and the consequent reduction in grain production forced the Zimbabwean President to declare a “State of Disaster.” Post estimates that Zimbabwe will have to import approximately 1.0 million metric tons of corn in marketing year 2024/25 to meet local demand. With other corn-producing countries in the region, including South Africa, Zambia, and Malawi, also impacted by the drought, Zimbabwe will have to source some of its corn imports on the global market. While Zimbabwe allows GE corn imports, shipments must be quarantined before being milled into corn meal, the national staple.